New Zealand orders decoy system for its frigates

Deck-mounted decoy systems for defense against RF-seeking missiles have been ordered for the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Decoy systems for protection against RF-seeking missiles are to be procured by the Royal New Zealand Navy from Airborne Systems Europe.

 

The systems, Airborne's FDS3 corner reflector decoys, will be fitted onto the service's ANZAC-class frigates over a three-year period.

 

The contract from the New Zealand Ministry of Defense for the FDS3 is valued at more than $5.6 million.

 

"This NZ MOD contract follows on from the success of the $41.7 million U.S. Navy contract in 2013," said Chris Rowe, president of Airborne Systems Europe. "In addition to providing protection for the forces of our allies, it sustains high-quality jobs in the UK, and more particularly in South Wales."

 

The decoy system is comprised of a deck-mounted launch tube loaded with a decoy that inflates alongside the ship's hull and then free floats past the vessel's stern. Each decoy has a passive array of radar reflectors.

 

The number of systems to be delivered by Airborne Systems Europe was not disclosed.

Russia 'Offered New Zealand Nuclear Sub' to Settle Dairy Debt in 1990s

Russia offered New Zealand MiG fighter jets, tanks, and a nuclear submarine in 1993 in an attempt to wipe out the $100-million debt it owed New Zealand for imports of its dairy products, a new book said.

In his book "Till The Cows Came Home," set for release in November, Clive Lind says that New Zealand's prime minister at the time, Jim Bolger, turned them down because of his country's nuclear-free stance.

Russian officials had suggested that instead of using the submarine for military purposes, New Zealand could hook it up to the national grid and use it as a power plant for a coastal city, The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Diplomatic and trade relations between Russia and New Zealand were established in 1944. The Soviet Union eventually became the fifth biggest importer of New Zealand's food products. The country remained a major supplier of dairy and meat products to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Tradition Triumphs In New Zealand

New Zealand has ordered ten Kaman Super Seasprite 2G(I) helicopters for its navy. These will cost $12 million each. In service since the 1990s, the Super Seasprite is an upgrade of the older (1960s era) Seasprite. The U.S. Navy was the major user of the original Seasprite and retired the last of them in 1993. The only other user was New Zealand. The U.S. Navy ordered 24 Super Seasprites in the 1990s, but eventually settled on navalized versions of the UH-60 Black Hawk for most of its needs. 

The U.S. sold two of its Super Seasprites to New Zealand, which liked them. Australia, on the other hand, bought some Super Seasprites in the late 1990s and had lots of problems. These were fixed, but not in time to keep Australia as a customer. Meanwhile New Zealand had been operating Super Seasprites since 2001 and was satisfied with their performance. Egypt and Poland also operate Super Seasprites.

 

The Super Seasprite is a six ton helicopter that usually operates with a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot and crew chief or senor operator). It can carry about two tons and has a cruise speed of 220 kilometers an hour. The Super Seasprite can stay in the air for about four hours per sortie. It is used for search and rescue and anti-submarine work and is able to carry anti-submarine torpedoes.

NZ ship to help combat overseas piracy

 HMNZS Te Mana is heading to the Gulf of Aden

A navy frigate is again being sent to the Gulf of Aden, near Africa and the Middle East to help combat piracy.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says HMNZS Te Mana will join the international Combined Maritime Force (CMF) in November for a three-month deployment after a work-up period in Australia.

It will deploy with the Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne, before heading to the Gulf of Aden which is between Yemen and Somalia.

From the middle of next year, an air force Orion maritime patrol aircraft will join the CMF for three months.

 

"Piracy in the Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean region affects all countries with shipping trade going through the Suez Canal," Dr Coleman said.

"New Zealand has a direct interest in supporting the maritime security taskforce and protecting shipping lanes, with a large volume of our trade carried by shipping."

The CMF is a naval partnership of 27 nations.

It operates across 2.5 million square miles of international waters and includes the main shipping routes from the Far East to Europe and the United States.

A New Zealand frigate was part of the operation in 2008, and in 2010 navy captain Jim Gilmour commanded a counter-piracy taskforce